


epilogue: something beautiful and new

by lco123



Series: Wicked Little Town: An "Ezra is A" AU [5]
Category: Pretty Little Liars
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ezra is A, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-07
Updated: 2017-05-07
Packaged: 2018-10-29 00:10:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10842375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lco123/pseuds/lco123
Summary: Aria looks up at her, noticing the worry and sadness behind the warmth in Spencer’s eyes. “Hey,” she says softly, raising a hand to Spencer’s cheek. “It’s going to be okay.”Final part to my "Ezra is A" AU. Aria, Spencer, Emily, Alison, Hanna and Mona look toward the future.





	epilogue: something beautiful and new

**Author's Note:**

> And here we have the epilogue to my "Ezra is A" 4b/5a AU! Which takes place roughly when 6a ended. Thank you so much for reading! I had lots of fun with these stories, and I so appreciate everyone who took the time to read and comment.

_**August** _

“I’m amazed all your clothes can fit into that tiny car,” Spencer comments, leaning against the closed driver’s side door.

“They don’t,” Aria replies. “My dad is driving down with another load next week.” When Spencer’s eyes go wide, Aria cracks a smile. “Spence, I’m kidding.”

Spencer rolls her eyes good-naturedly, pulling Aria toward her into a one-armed hug. Aria looks up at her, noticing the worry and sadness behind the warmth in Spencer’s eyes. “Hey,” she says softly, raising a hand to Spencer’s cheek. “It’s going to be okay.”

Spencer nods, too quickly. Like she might be holding back tears. “I know. This is good! It’s what we always wanted.”

“Getting out of Rosewood,” Aria agrees. “Starting our lives.”

“I just didn’t think about—”

“Then don’t,” Aria interjects. “Don’t think about it. For the next ten minutes, don’t think at all.” She smiles, a little sadly. “Just kiss me.”

Spencer does as she’s told, leaning down to press her mouth against Aria’s. It’s chaste, relatively speaking, but it sends a tingle down Aria’s spine nonetheless. They’ve been officially together for three months now, and while Aria knows that it took living through a war for their relationship to even happen in the first place, she can’t help but wish they’d had more time as a couple before it came time to leave.

A low wolf-whistle invades the moment, and Aria turns her head to see Emily shooting her an apologetic look while lightly smacking Alison’s elbow. “Sorry, guys,” Emily says as they walk up toward the cars. “Didn’t mean to interrupt your goodbyes.”

“You weren’t,” Aria tells her, shifting so that her back is to Spencer’s front, with Spencer’s arms looped around her midsection. “We were just getting a head-start.”

“We can see,” Ali says with a smirk. “Where are Hanna and Mona?”

“Probably getting a head-start themselves,” Emily remarks. She leans against Spencer’s car, sliding a hand around Ali’s hip.

“What do they have to say goodbye for?” Spencer sighs, sounding vaguely put out. “They’re going to be living in the same apartment, for god’s sake!”

“Feeling a little bitter?” Alison asks, not unkindly.

“Not bitter,” Spencer replies. “Just…” She cuts herself off, shrugging against Aria’s back.

“It’s not like we’ll be on the other side of the world,” Aria points out, twisting so she can see Spencer’s face. “SCAD and Georgetown are just an hour and a half from each other by plane.”

“Hour and thirty-five minutes,” Spencer corrects. “Eight hours and fourteen minutes by car.”

“Five hundred and four miles.”

Spencer beams. “You’re a freak, and I love you.”

“Really, I just have Google Maps on my phone,” Aria tells her. “But I’ll take it.”

Aria notices Emily and Alison exchange a little look, but she doesn’t really care; the two of them do more adorable couple-y things on the regular than they’d ever admit. Besides, she knows they feel bad for her and Spencer. Emily and Ali both got into UCLA, which means they get to head off to California together. And with Hanna at the Fashion Institute and Mona at Columbia, those two get to share an apartment.

That just leaves Aria and Spencer, following dreams that unfortunately are taking them in opposite directions. Not to mention the fact that Aria will be far away from the rest of her friends and her family, too.

It’s good, like Spencer said. But it’s also hard.

“Hey,” Hanna calls as she and Mona walk up together, hand in hand. “How’re you guys doing?”

“Not as good as you, I’m guessing,” Spencer murmurs, nodding toward Hanna’s smudged lipstick and Mona’s rumpled top. “You two couldn’t wait until you got to New York?”

“It’s a long drive,” Hanna replies, nonchalantly.

“Not _that_ long,” Spencer mutters.

“Well, my hands will be otherwise occupied,” Mona says without an ounce of shame.

Spencer rolls her eyes, but there’s no real upset there. It’s been a funny thing, having Mona around. When Mona was dating Mike, Aria made it her mission to keep a guard up at all times. But now that Mona and Hanna are a couple, Aria has realized that there’s no use in distrusting Mona. She loves Hanna, more than anything, and so does Aria. Maybe that’s all that really matters, in the end.

“Did you guys already say goodbye to your parents?” Hanna asks the group.

“Oh yeah,” Emily replies. “Between Mrs. D. and my mom, Ali and I have, like, ten muffin baskets in our car.”

“My dad loaded me up with whatever the Faulkner novel equivalent of ten muffin baskets is,” Aria says. “And my mom cried.”

“Mine too,” Hanna reveals. “Even though she’s coming out in a few weeks to help us get settled.”

“My mom didn’t cry,” Spencer tells them. “But my dad _did_ give me a firm handshake and a pat on the shoulder, so I know he cares.”

“Spence,” Aria says softly. She knows that underneath Spencer’s jokes, there’s definitely some hurt about her parents’ behavior. Though Mrs. Hastings has made an effort to be warmer to Aria since Spencer told her that they’ve been dating.

“It’s fine,” Spencer dismisses. “They’re coming to D.C. right after school starts. I’m sure they’ll treat me to an expensive lunch while subtly interrogating me about my professors. In the Hastings family, that counts as bonding.”

“It’s almost noon,” Alison reports. “We’ve got to hit the road.”

“Me too,” Aria realizes. “These clothes aren’t going to drive themselves to Savannah.”

Spencer steps forward, holding Aria’s hand tightly. Her eyes are starting to look a little wet. Wordlessly, the rest of the group inches in too, until they’re assembled in a sort of misshapen semi-circle. 

Aria feels her heart start pounding a little faster. This is it. They’re actually going to leave.

“I never thought we’d get here,” she admits. “I wanted it so badly, but I never thought the day would come when we got to drive away from this place.”

Mona smiles, running her fingers along Hanna’s arm. “There are a lot of things I never thought I’d get to. But I’m here. We all are.”

Hanna kisses her cheek, nodding in agreement.

Spencer looks at each of their faces, breathing in shakily. “'How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard?'”

“What brilliant scholar said that?” Emily asks.

“Winnie the Pooh,” Spencer admits with a watery laugh. It’s echoed by the rest of them, all of them laughing in that small, sad way that one does when they know an ending is near.

Aria exchanges hugs with each of her friends, even briefly wrapping her arms around Mona. Then Emily and Alison head back to Em’s house, where their car is parked, while Hanna and Mona make their way to Mona’s. 

Finally it’s just Spencer and Aria again. They hold each other for as long as possible until it’s time for Aria to get in her car.

“You’ve got snacks for the road?” Spencer asks, leaning down to Aria’s open window.

“Check.”

“And you know how to change a tire?”

“ _Spence._ ”

“Well?” Spencer presses. “Do you?”

“I do,” Aria promises. “And I have the piece of paper you gave me with names of possible motels for tonight.”

“I checked, and none of them have had any outbreaks of bed bugs in the last eighteen months,” Spencer assures her. “In case you were concerned.”

“I wasn’t,” Aria says. “But I love you for checking.”

Spencer’s brow relaxes, her eyes momentarily looking more fond than concerned. “I love you too.” She clears her throat. “And you’ve got your maps? Real paper ones in case you lose cell service?”

Aria looks up at her, feeling so much that her heart could burst. Maybe Rosewood won’t be home anymore, but Spencer always will be. That won’t change, even when they’re apart. 

“Yeah,” Aria replies. “But I think I know exactly where I’m going.”


End file.
